Turkey snapshot

By: Simon Warburton

Turkey is literally and metaphorically at a crossroads between East and West, while its 80m population has an average age of only 30. just-auto took the country's manufacturing, political and supply chain pulse in Istanbul to gauge its health.

Those robust enough to venture out onto Istanbul's choked roads might react with some incredulity to suggestions car penetration rates could rise substantially, but it's important to take Turkey's business and cultural capital as a one-off and not representative of the country as a whole.

Turkey today stands at something of a crossroads both literally and metaphorically as this enormous country of 80m people – whose average age is just 30 – looks to leverage its attraction as a manufacturing powerhouse and availability of a significant labour pool. Just-Auto Business Editor, Simon Warburton visited the Turkish Automotive Suppliers Association, Taysad in Istanbul to take the temperature of the country's most important manufacturing sector.

Turkey's Investment Support and Promotion Agency says it is looking to showcase the country's flagship auto sector, stressing its 600-year history with Europe and its long relationship with Western countries